bikini

noun

bi·​ki·​ni bə-ˈkē-nē 

plural bikinis

1

a

: a two-piece bathing suit worn by women that does not cover the midriff see also string bikini, tankini

b

: a short snug swimsuit worn by men

2

: a pair of low-cut briefs (see brief entry 2 sense 4)

Launched in May, the underwear brand for men and women includes bikinis, … G-strings and boxer briefs.

—Phyllis Furman

… ultra low-rise jeans with a built-in bikini or thong.

—Sunday Tribune (South Africa)

—often used before another noun

Bikini briefs are usually lower than the true waist, often at the hips.

—Clifford Pugh

bikinied adjective

or less commonly bikini'd

bə-ˈkē-nēd 

Did you know?

In July 1946, a US Army–Navy task force detonated two thermonuclear bombs at Bikini, an atoll in the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and the event dominated news around the world. A French designer, Jacques Heim, used the occasion to introduce a skimpy two-piece bathing suit dubbed l’atome, “the atom.” Another designer, Louis Réard, followed it up with an even smaller suit for which he registered the name bikini. It was first modeled by dancer Micheline Bernardini at a Paris fashion show on July 5. There is no solid evidence for why he gave this name to the suit, but it has since become an international word.

Examples of bikini in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 28-year-old reality star shared a series of photos from her girls trip to Turks & Caicos for her Kylie Cosmetics brand, sharing pictures of her and her girls at dinner, the beautiful table set up and multiples of her in a pink bikini. —Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026

Kylie Jenner shows off her fit physique in a tiny camo print bikini in Turks and Caicos on a brand trip for Kylie Cosmetics on June 2. —People Staff, PEOPLE, 3 June 2026

On June 1, the 29-year-old Rhode founder shared a collage on Instagram of three black-and-white photos of herself in a dark cheeky thong bikini. —Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 2 June 2026

The scene in question featured Alexa Demie’s character Maddy shooting Cassie’s OnlyFans content in a tiny red and white bikini by the latter’s apartment pool. —Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, from Bikini, atoll of the Marshall Islands

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing bikini

• bikini wax
• string bikini

Rhymes for bikini

• acini
• aldine
• amine
• arsine
• carinii
• cosine
• delphine
• domine
• latine
• ovine
• pennine
• porcine

Kids Definition

bikini

noun

bi·​ki·​ni bə-ˈkē-nē 

: a scanty two-piece bathing suit for a girl or woman

Etymology

from French bikini "two-piece bathing suit," from Bikini, atoll in the Marshall Islands

Geographical Definition

Bikini

geographical name

Bi·​ki·​ni bi-ˈkē-nē 

island (atoll) of the Marshall Islands

Note: Bikini was the site of U.S. atomic bomb tests in 1946 and hydrogen bomb tests in 1954 and 1956.

Bikinian

bi-ˈkē-nē-ən 

noun